It is worrying to learn from recent events report It has been stated that some members of a law enforcement agency allegedly linked to a local Awami League leader in Dhaka may have planted evidence that would implicate a person in a firearms possession case. The plight of such victims and the ease with which evidence can be manipulated underscores the urgent need for accountability in our law enforcement agencies.

Case details show that on the night of March 30, the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) team arrested two persons in the Madhya Pirerbagh area of ​​the capital, accusing them of escaping on a motorcycle with a firearm. However, the security camera footage from that night, the written statement of a Rab member who was at the scene, the statements of eyewitnesses and the claims of one of the family members of one of the detainees reveal a different story. These sources claim that the men were picked up in a micro bus by several Rab officers from another location and did not try to escape on a motorbike. In fact, the footage shows two Rab members (later identified by their team) riding on a motorcycle belonging to one of the detainees.

One of those arrested claims that he was detained, handcuffed and transported by microbus to another location. He alleges Rab officers then instructed him to remove the seat of his motorbike, which they brought there, where they later found a gun and bullets allegedly planted by the officers. His mother also accused Rab officials of conspiring against her son at the request of a local Awami League leader who was his business rival. He filed a lawsuit against several Rab members and the leader in question in April. In response to his complaint, Lord also formed a three-member committee to investigate the incident.

This disturbing case of “weapons seizure” is reminiscent of numerous reports from the previous regime in which evidence was tampered with or planted to falsely incriminate innocent people. Given the interim government’s determination to strengthen law and order, it is imperative that all such cases be thoroughly investigated or re-investigated and strict disciplinary measures taken against guilty officials. Authorities must also ensure that arbitrary arrests and frivolous trials do not occur again. They also need to thoroughly reform the accountability mechanisms of all law enforcement agencies, not just the police. Allegations of this seriousness should be handled by independent investigators rather than internal committees; because internal committees have often failed to meet public expectations of impartiality in the past.